Pat
Pat is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
- English
Meaning & Origin of Pat
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Pat is a name with a single cultural origin: English.
Origin data from Behind the Name .
Cultural Origins (via Behind the Name)
- English
The Story of Pat
As a girl name
American parents first put Pat on the record books as a girl name in 1897, with 5 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1941, when 1,900 Pats were born — ranking #134 that year. About 40% of every Pat on record arrived during the 1940s, its defining decade. Pat last appeared in the published SSA data in 1991, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 40K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1890s to the 2020s.
As a boy name
The earliest SSA record of Pat as a boy name dates back to 1880, when 12 babies received it. 1960 was its biggest year on record, with 999 newborns named Pat — #253 in the national rankings. About 23% of every Pat on record arrived during the 1960s, its defining decade. Pat last appeared in the published SSA data in 2014, with 5 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 27K Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1880s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Variants & Related Forms of Pat
Foreign forms, alternate spellings, and nicknames that share roots with Pat. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Names that sound like Pat
Phonetically similar names — useful when Pat is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Pat
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In which U.S. states is Pat most popular?
Is Pat a unisex name?
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About the name Pat
Pat is a unisex baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1897 and has accumulated 40K births in the dataset. Pat's peak popularity came in 1941 when it ranked #134. Use the chart and map above to compare Pat's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1941 →
- Names of the 1940s →
- Names starting with "P" →
- Browse all girl names →
- Top names of 2026 →
- Browse unisex names →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.